South Africa’s Jackson Chauke has said he is not retiring despite his defeat by Zimbabwe’s Ndabezinhle Phiri during the WBC Africa Flyweight Championship title match.
Phiri overcame Chauke in the Ascent Warriors tournament at Fourways, Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, November 16, 2025.
‘Pressure Cooker’, as the 24-year-old Phiri is known, was down in round 10 but got up to fight his heart out and eventually won the 12-round fight by unanimous points. Scores were 115-112, 114-113, and 117-110.
Following the defeat, the veteran boxer and former Olympian said he is not stepping away from the sport he has served for 17 years.
“I dropped him in round 10 and finished the last two rounds stronger, but not according to the judges,” said Chauke, who suffered his fourth defeat against 27 wins and two draws.
“The judge who scored it 117-110 must have smoked his socks because his verdict was way off the mark.
“Phiri’s aggression was ineffective. Most of his blows hit my guts; I landed accurate, cleaner and effective punches.”
“Yes, I said it would be do or die in my fight with Phiri on Sunday, but that has changed and I am still going ahead as a fighter,” said the 40-year-old ringman, who is trained by Damien Durandt and Andson Kazembe.
Chauke said he pushed himself very hard to test if there was still firepower in his tank.
Popularly known as ‘M3’, he ended up giving his best performance since 2022 when he schooled Sinethemba ‘King Swagger’ Kotana over 12 rounds.
“Look, I cracked out of the shell unknown Phumelela ‘The Truth’ Cafu, who went on to win the WBO belt, and he’s a big boy today,” said Chauke, whose dedication and skill set saw him win the Gauteng, WBF International, SA, WBC International, WBO Global, ABU and IBO flyweight titles.
“Now I’ve done the same with Phiri, and I wish him good luck.”
The clash formed part of the WBC’s ‘Year of Africa’ campaign – a landmark initiative celebrating the continent’s boxing heritage while spotlighting emerging stars and uniting federations under one banner of excellence. From Lagos to Lusaka, Accra to Johannesburg, the project aims to amplify African voices in the global boxing conversation, invest in grassroots talent, and bring major events back to African soil.
